A Bell in Time
by shdowstep
Summary: She had always been more of a background character, never really wanting the spotlight but always willing to help out. But after all of her friends had been killed, leaving her all alone, she was determined to do whatever needed to be done to save them. Even if that meant going back in time to change events that she barely knew anything about.
1. Chapter 1

It used to be a grand manor.

Oh, it was never a _happy _place, to be sure. But it had been home to one of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses, and as such, no expense had been spared in its construction. Despite it being in a muggle neighborhood, numerous wards and protections had been added over the years, giving it a degree of safety and privacy that most places could only dream of. The house itself had multiple floors and the layout / construction was such that one only had to look at it to know that it belonged to somebody of importance.

At least, that was how it used to be.

The neighborhood was now abandoned, with no sign of anybody living in the residences anymore. Most of the houses had broken windows and doors, and looked like they had been subjected to explosives of some sort. The street itself had a few cars that lay abandoned and forgotten, trash littering the area.

The real damage had occurred to the manor.

The wards guaranteeing privacy had been shattered, letting all see the state of the house, and the wards that granted protection could be seen in various locations around the manor, sparking red and blue as the broken arrays tried to fulfill their purpose.

The roof of the house was gone. Just… Gone. Shorn off by some force. The entrance and porch had been subjected to a series of explosions, and the grounds were an odd mixture of desolate ground that would _never _grow anything again and patches of overgrown vegetation.

The inside was even worse. Open and subjected to the elements, the damage only increased with time. What little that remained intact slowly fell apart, nature destroying what man left behind. The rooms had been looted and scavenged, the library a burnt out husk, and a layer of dirt and grim clung to every surface in sight.

It was a place of desolation and death. A former image of power and status, now reduced to barely recognizable ruins. Such is what had become of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London. Home to the Ancient and most Noble House of Black, former headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and the former home of Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived.

Many would say that it was impossible for anybody to remain here, and it had long been abandoned, both defenders and attackers having left long ago for other battlegrounds.

And yet, hidden from the rest of the world, one person remained in the corpse of the house.

She had never really stood out amongst her peers, and few knew her name outside of her friends.

Never at the top of her classes, though not at the bottom either. She knew how to duel, but nobody would call her a fighting prodigy. She knew that her magical ability was quite high, but there were many others that had higher. Truly, there was not much that made her stand out, though had anybody asked, she would have proudly stated that she played a mean Chaser.

Yet despite all of this, she had been happy.

She might not have been the best or the smartest, but she didn't need to be in order to be of assistance. She wasn't the best of fighters, but she could hold her own, and in a group she was proud to say she was an asset, and _not _a hindrance. She wasn't the most powerful, but that never really bothered her since she never had the ambition or desire to become a leader.

She had had good friends, and had enjoyed being with them. She would have been satisfied with what she had, would have been perfectly content to find a job, settle down, and live life. Her dream job would have been to be a Chaser on a competitive Quidditch team.

Sadly, this was not to be. Now, her friends were dead, the government was falling apart, and what was worse?

She was now all alone.

It was far from a quick process. Voldemort had caused enough problems on his own, but the manipulations of others for the 'greater good', as well as the schemes of those who were jealous, created even more problems. Lies came to light, schemes were unveiled, and betrayals occurred.

Issues, both large and small, working together to create an impossible scenario to fight against.

She should know. She had tried. **They** had tried, after all.

That was why she was here in these ruins, about to perform a ritual that _might _help her change everything. Or kill everything within a few kilometers…Hopefully more of the first part, and none of the second. Not that there was much around to be killed anymore...

Her name was Katherine Bell. And, with any luck, she was going to go back in time to save the world.

Or, to be honest, save her friends. If the world was saved because of that, then all the better.

* * *

Katie wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked at the notes for the ritual once more, nervously glancing at the time.

She felt very much out of her depth, attempting to finish this ritual all by herself. Hermione had originally started the process, using the secrets hoarded by the Black family to create the ritual. When she was killed, Harry had picked up where she left off and had worked furiously to finish it, and Katie had helped as best as she could.

And then Harry had been killed, and she had been left all by herself. With all of her friends dead, she had no choice but to continue on. It had taken several years of researching, hard work, and _very _cramped working conditions, but she finally, _finally, _had everything ready.

The Ancient Houses each had their own special branches of magic that was theirs alone, but that was far from the only secret knowledge that they kept. It almost seemed like it was a compulsion amongst them to search for and hoard secrets, forbidden or otherwise.

When the mansion had been raided, everything had been destroyed except for the inner vault - where all of the best kept secrets were. They hadn't even realized that this house was the one out of the many Black family houses that contained it.

Kate wasn't even sure why Hermione had begun researching a way to go back in time, but it was certainly fortuitous that she had. There was absolutely no way that she would have been able to accomplish as much as she had without the contributions that both Harry and Hermione had made.

She put down the ritual notes and stretched, looking at her surroundings briefly. The vault was filled to the brim with books and cases of unknown contents, most having locks that required the blood of a Black to unlock, of which she did not qualify. The center of the room was the only clear spot, and it currently contained an intricate ritual circle that had been engraved into the floor, with unlit candles surrounding the circle.

Katie walked around the circle and picked up another pile of notes - these a series of instructions that Harry had written for himself for when he went back himself.

She knew that she should be grateful to have any kind of guidance at all, and that she shouldn't complain. It certainly wasn't Harry's fault that he had died before he could follow through with his plan… But couldn't he have written better notes?!

_Avoid the Weasleys… Get the stone as soon as possible… Visit the Chamber before Ginny is possessed… Get Sirius out of Azkaban 'legally'..._

What stone?! When had Ginny been possessed? And wasn't Sirius Black Voldemort's supporter?

Katie's first year at Hogwarts had been a relatively normal school year. And then Harry Potter started attending the year after, and all semblance of normality flew out the window.

Katie was aware that a lot of weird things went on during the school years for Harry and Hermoine, but those things had never really come up in conversation. There was always something more pressing to worry about. She remembered that there was some big fuss about avoiding the third floor corridor during her second year, and at the end of the year Harry, Hermoine, Ron, and Neville received a ridiculous amount of points for seemingly inane reasons. Looking back, she could recognize that it was extremely odd that it occurred. But at the time, she was just happy that they had managed to win. And it wasn't like Snape didn't take away enough points from them for asinine reasons…

The third year items were more recognizable - That must be the Chamber that the notes were referring to - when the Chamber of Secrets was opened and a lot of half-bloods and muggleborns started getting petrified. Unfortunately, that was another case where it was only mentioned at the end of the year that the issue was resolved. And what does that have anything to do with Ginny being possessed?

There were more notes of course, giving a series of tasks to accomplish throughout the years of Hogwarts. But without any context, she was left confused as to what the majority of them actually meant!

At least one of the instructions was clear as crystal. Avoiding the Weasleys. "_That's something that I can do"_ she thought viciously, practically _feeling _the anger start to fill her at the thought of them, quickly stopping that train of thought before her magic could express itself. She had to take several deep breaths, focusing on one of the candles as she calmed herself down.

"_It's ok… Everything is fine… I'm going back in time, and I can't get upset at them for stuff that they haven't done yet, and might not… No, __**will not **__do. I just... need to calm down…"_

She took a final breath and looked at the time once more, wincing when she saw it.

It was time.

She quickly moved over to the ritual circle and removed a large vial from her robes, pouring a golden liquid into the indentation of the ritual circle. As the Felix Felicis potion flowed through the outline of the circle she placed her wand in its designated spot, setting down candles in an array around the area.

The ritual was designed to return something to its beginning. Were she simply to do the ritual with herself, she would return to when she was born.

… She didn't care how desperate the situation was, or how promising the result, she refused to go back to when she was a baby. People had their limits, and that was hers.

Thankfully, the ritual wasn't dependent on that alone. By adding her wand as well as herself as a ritual component, she could ensure that she would be sent back to when she first was given her wand. As an added bonus, the burst of magic released from the link being formed between the two would further serve as an anchor, making sure that she was sent back to the right moment.

She took a deep breath, and began lighting the candles.

"_**I call upon the guardians of the east, masters of air and change, to bless this attempt of a different path."**_

Kate walked around the border of the circle, feeling the draft of air that came through the enclosed room and shivered unconsciously.

"_**I call upon the guardians of the south, masters of fire and new beginnings, to bless this chance to start anew."**_

Another candle lit, and the temperature of the room increased. There were ancient beings paying attention, especially since rituals such as these hadn't been used in many, many years.

"_**I call upon the guardians of the west, masters of water and flowing paths, to bless this opportunity to go down another path, for another chance to reach the happiness we desire."**_

It wasn't like they were forbidden, rather, they were considered 'uncivilized' and primitive, much like using a sword in a non-magical battle. Furthermore, they weren't always reliable, dependent upon the whims of the spirits.

But it was that primal power that she needed in order to accomplish a task such as this.

"_**I call upon the guardians of the north, masters of earth and prosperity, to bless this attempt to bring stability and peace."**_

With the last candles lit she knelt on the other side of the ritual circle and spent a moment focusing. She could feel the magic building in and around her, like a powerful electrical charge, and she knew that everything was working so far.

"_**I stand outside of time and place, on the threshold of never and always." **_She intoned carefully, eyes closed as she allowed her thoughts to flow with the magic. "_**By the oaths and treaties that bind spirits and man, on this eve of the spring equinox, the day of change, I ask for thy power and strength." **_

The magical buildup was getting uncomfortable now. The candles were flaring, the potion of luck within the circle was bubbling, yet never splashing outside the design. Outside the circle she could see a vortex of wind starting to build. She carefully took a ritual knife and cut her hand, the ritual increasing the potency of her magically infused blood. Before the blood could drip from the cut, she carefully inscribed the runes _Dagaz, Algiz, _and _Raidho, _around the ritual circle.

Kate took in one last shuddering breath as she finished inscribing the Nordic runes with her blood. The pressure increased once more, but she refused to let herself feel nervous at this crucial part.

Magic never came from words. Rather, it came from intent. The words were simply a way to focus one's intent into something tangible.

"_**As a sacrifice, I give nothing but the opportunity for something better for all. If this is enough, let thy strength be felt."**_

For a second nothing happened, and all noise ceased as she held her breath.

All at once, everything seemed to crash into her, and she could only brace herself against the onslaught. The candles burst into towers of flame, the the vortex turned into a veritable tornado, and the ground seemed to shudder underneath her.

After enduring for a second, she felt herself get picked up and thrown as the ground underneath her cracked in a thunderous roar, her mind exploding in pain before she realized what was going on.

Worse than apparition, it felt like her soul was being thrown through a tube, the edges scraping painfully like shards of glass as she traveled. She couldn't move, could barely even _think!_

Until all of a sudden it all stopped, and she collapsed to her knees, gasping desperately from the feeling of vertigo that assailed her.

"Hmmm… most curious."

She froze, carefully looking up from her position. Standing in front of her _(holy cow, he's so tall!)_, looking at her with undisguised curiosity, was Garrick Ollivander, a man who had died a little more than a decade prior.

She slowly got to her feet, annoyed at how small her 11 year old form was, and looked around, wincing at some of the destruction she could see but failing to feel any guilt for it.

_It worked… It actually worked!_

She felt like bursting into tears from how happy she felt, but did her best to hide it. It wouldn't do to make Mr. Ollivander think she was happy about destroying his place.

Unfortunately, she forgot how perceptive the man was… He gave a small chuckle, giving her a knowing look. "Well, I dare say that that wand is yours." He said with a smile, "Although that was perhaps one of the most…interesting reactions I've seen from a wand choosing an owner." His face turned more serious, "Now, are you sure that you're alright?"

Kate gave the man a watery smile, "Yes sir," She stated, feeling victorious, "Everything is perfect."

_Don't worry everybody. _

_I'm coming. _

* * *

_**Authors Notes:**_

_**Hey everybody! So, first off, this story idea was not something I came up with by myself. The author Q,Elwyn.D wrote a story called "Orphans and Short Stories, Plotbunnies Galore", and one of the chapters in there is called "Saved by a Bell". I really liked the story idea, and that is what this chapter is based off of. **_

_**The main idea of the story is that instead of Harry being the one to go back in time to try to fix everything, it's somebody that is close enough to know a few things about what had happened, but not know all of the details. **_

_**This will be a Harry/Hermione fanfiction. Not sure about other pairings.**_

_**Anyways, what do you guys think? I have another story that I am invested in, so I don't know how often I'll be able to update this one. But if people like it, then I will do my best to update it more often. **_

_**I'd like to thank two of my sisters (Highelf and CaptainDarkElf) and one of my brothers (Autumnstar) for being willing to beta read this chapter for me, and for suggestions that they gave :). **_


	2. First Changes

Diagon Alley was filled with the sound of crowds, the street filled with parents and students as they went from store to store preparing for the school year, various sounds and explosions coming from the various businesses, the air almost ringing with the liveliness in the air.

Further from the stores stood a tall building that evoked a more serious air, the grand architecture standing apart from the others in height and detail, the people coming and going walking more solemnly within. Gringotts Bank, of the Goblin Nation. Reputed to be the most secure place in the world.

Marble steps on the outside of the bank led to burnished bronze doors, engraved with a warning -

_Enter, Stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

Across the street, leaning against the wall of a shop and facing the bank stood a twelve year old girl. She waited there and stared at the door, doing her best to calm her racing heart.

_Sure, 'most secure place in the world', _she thought sarcastically while biting her lips, eyes darting about nervously. _Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley were able to break into it with only a short amount of time's worth of planning and a goblin insider. And into one of the most secure vaults no less!_

Of course, after that little caper people lost a lot of faith in the bank, resulting in Gringotts losing quite a bit of business. With the reputation the Goblins had - of how protective they were of their treasure, their pride in said reputation, and the lengths they went to to punish intruders - she supposed it was inevitable for the Second Goblin War to break out after losing the majority of their customer base.

With the Goblins on one side and Voldemort on the other… Well, before she had come back in time, it had been close to 20 years since she had last seen Diagon Alley NOT in a state of complete ruin.

Even now, she was having anxiety from being so close to the goblin stronghold. The Wizarding world truly had no idea all of what the goblins had enslaved down in those tunnels in the name of protecting their vaults. She had fought both the Goblin forces and Death Eaters, and she still couldn't decide which was the tougher fight.

She was brought out of her depressed thoughts when she saw an extremely large man walk out of the bank, followed by a small boy with messy black hair, the difference in size almost comical.

Immediately her heart felt lighter, and a smile blossomed across her face.

_There he is!_

Without knowing where he lived - _THAT had always been a topic he avoided like the plague… Actually, he avoided a lot of topics like the plague, and the answers to a lot of them would have made her quest a lot easier!_ \- she had been unable to visit him. However, he had always remembered this date fondly as the first day he had truly entered the magical world.

Her parents had already taken care of her shopping a couple days ago, but she had begged to be allowed to go to the bookstore for the afternoon and peruse the books, and her parents had eventually relented after making her promise to stay within the bookstore.

… Ok, she felt kinda bad about breaking that promise, but _technically _she was older than her parents currently were… And she was just down the street from the bookstore!

Well, down the street and around the corner… and by down the street she might mean out of sight from… Yeah, better not think of that. She had more important things to do right now.

She quickly skipped over to the half-giant and boy, giving the large man a big smile, "Hey Hagrid!" She called out cheerfully, getting both of their attention.

Hagrid's slightly nauseous expression quickly broke into a smile, "Blimey Miss Bell, hardly a years gone by and yer already a growin' a fair bit." He boomed out, and she felt herself wilting internally at the 'compliment'.

She wasn't bitter about her new height… Not at all… Why on earth would she be? It's not like she measured herself on a constant basis and knew that she _had hardly grown since last year!_

… stupid body and time magic.

She hid it as best as she could, "I wasn't expecting to see you here today," She lied, redirecting the conversation as she looked at Harry, who was giving her a nervous look, and gave him a comforting smile, "Escorting a new student?"

She hadn't been able to make any real changes in the year that she had been back. Not much info on what to change, with the added encumbrance of being eleven years old once more. (Why was it so hard to believe that an eleven year old wanted to talk about old court cases? Maybe she wanted to get an early start on her career!)

Despite that, one small change that she did make was her interactions with the groundskeeper. So long as you avoided his cooking and his discussions of some of the more… Misunderstood creatures of the world, he was really quite enjoyable to be around, and was always happy for the company.

The half giant beamed at her question and gave Harry a small nudge, "That I am, Miss Bell, just finished gettin' young Harry some gold to shop for school and such."

"Ooh, ok," She nodded before turning a grin to Harry, "It's nice to meet you! I'm Katherine Bell, but you can call me Katie if you'd like." She said brightly, happy when she got a tentative smile in return. "So what do you think of the 'goblin roller coasters'?" She asked with forced cheer, "I'm always surprised at how extensive the place is! And they have to ride that every day!" She shuddered.

An elaborate maze, with horrible traps throughout the whole stupid thing. Virtually impossible to invade without any knowledge of it… Needless to say she was extremely grateful her parents didn't need to withdraw any funds this year. She needed some more time before she could muster up the nerve to enter there again.

If she ever did.

""Uh, I'm Harry. Um, Harry Potter." He introduced himself quietly, "It's, uh, nice to meet you too. And I don't know, I think it would be, well, interesting to do that every day, don't you?"

Hagrid groaned, his face gaining a greenish tinge, "Trust me Harry," He rumbled, "it would grow old fast."

He gave himself a bit of a shake and gestured to Katie, "Miss Bell here's a second year, so she'll be just a year ahead of yer." Hagrid explained, "She visits the hut every once in a while for a spot a tea and cake."

"Yep!" She said brightly before leaning in closer to Harry, doing it slow when she noticed the small flinch of his, "Don't tell him, but I only do it to visit Fang," She said in a mock whisper, giving Hagrid a wink as he grumbled half-heartedly. Speaking in a normal tone again, "Fang is a big sweetheart, you'll love him. With an emphasis on 'big'" she giggled, gesturing with her hands.

She ignored Hagrid's half hearted protests and about jumped in victory at seeing the genuine smile that crossed Harry's face.

He had had a hard life so far, and in the other timeline he had had a tough future as well, both he and Hermione, so she was going to do her best to make sure they had plenty to smile about.

Speaking of…

She turned towards Hagrid and gave him a searching look, "You aren't planning on smuggling any dragon eggs into the castle this year, are you?" She asked half-jokingly, "Or anything else, for that matter," She added as an afterthought. One of Harry's items on the list mentioned a dragon (which was NOT legal to own), and knowing Hagrid, he'd leap at the opportunity to raise either one of them.

He stiffened at the word 'smuggled', and touched his breast pocket absently, "Of course not, why'd you think I'd be smuggling anything?" He asked nervously, causing her to stiffen in panic of her own, "Why, if I was to be bringin' anything to the castle, which I ain't, then it'd be under orders then, wouldn't it?"

… _Oh crap, what is it?! _

She ignored when Harry gave Hagrid a confused look as all her thoughts raced at this new development.

_He touched his breast pocket, so it can't be a creature… Maybe an egg? But it'd have to be a small one… Oh Merlin, unless he has space expansion charms on his pockets. He's nervous about it, so it's probably not legal - Dragon egg then? He'd have no problem showing it off to me otherwise. Dang it Hagrid, I'm too young to be an animal smuggler! Well, maybe not me, but Harry definitely!_

Images of Blast-Ended Skrewts swam through her vision and she shuddered.

She didn't put much stock in what he said about potentially being under orders. The only person that could give orders to Hagrid (that he'd obey at least) was Dumbledore, and, well…

She liked Hagrid. She truly did. It's just… He was absolutely _horrible _at keeping secrets. This was clearly a secret thing, and if Dumbledore really did have a secret mission then Hagrid would be the LAST person on the list to ask. Even further down from Lucious Malfoy. At least then only the Death Eaters would know as opposed to every tavern between here and Bristol.

She nodded slowly, "Rrriiiiiight," She said just as slowly, "So this not-a-thing, would it be something that you'd get in trouble for having maybe? If you did have it?"

Maybe it was wishful thinking, but it might not be illegal. There were other explanations, right?

He sputtered out some more denials and looked even more nervous as her heart plummeted.

_HAGRID! I WILL NOT GO TO JAIL FOR YOU!_

"Umm," Her attention went back and forth from Harry to Hagrid. She had been planning on asking if she could join in on their shopping, but now…

"Sooo, Hagrid," She said slowly, her thoughts gaining steam. "You're looking kinda unwell after your mine cart ride." Hagrid, for his part, looked vastly relieved at the change in subject. "I'm sure that you have something to help with that at your cabin, right? Well, why don't you go and Floo on back over there and take something for it!" _And leave whatever it is you have back there! _"I can help Harry get his supplies, and we can meet up at the bookstore in, say an hour?"

She and Harry looked at Hagrid as he scrunched up his face in thought, clearly conflicted. The sight thawed a bit of her severe thoughts, while at the same time solidified her conviction that whatever it was should be moved to Hagrid's hut as soon as possible. Hagrid had always adored Harry, and was a steadfast ally no matter what the circumstances. That he was conflicted now meant that this 'item' could very well be something the Auror's might get a little antsy about.

_I wonder what it is… _She mused nervously, _I only know through Harry's list that there was both a Dragon and a Cerberus involved at some point this year, but it could be something else entirely. With the proper charms you can fit anything in a pocket that small, though that ruled out the Cerberus. _

… _Unless it was a Cerberus puppy. That might be small enough. And maybe I'm spending too much time with Hagrid if I think the idea of a Cerberus puppy sounds REALLY cute..._

Hagrid eventually looked at Harry with a guilty look, "Well, er, would you mind followin' Miss Bell for a bit then Harry? Shouldn' take long, and I'll be back in a kip."

Harry immediately shook his head, "No no, if you have to do something, then please. I don't want to hold you up, you've already done so much for me today…"

Hagrid grunted, his face softening, "Not near enough I reckon," He muttered before speaking up, "Alright then, I'll go ahead and head off then. Keep your eye on your money," he instructed before turning, "And you take care of 'im, alright?"

"Of course," She said immediately and with absolute sincerity. After all she went through to ensure this worked, she'd take on the entire Goblin Nation if she had to in order to make sure her friends were safe.

Hagrid nodded in satisfaction and turned to Harry once more, "I'll go ahead and see ya in about an hour then, and I'll see if I can get a surprise for ya." He said with a wink, and then he hurried off into the crowd, his height making him visible until he walked through a door.

Katie turned to Harry and gave him another cheerful smile, "So! What's first on the list to get?" She asked, watching as Harry began patting his pockets. His expression turned to one of panic before, "Oh," she realized, "Hagrid had the list?"

He gave her a worried look that she just laughed away, "Don't worry, I remember most of the things that you'll need. Except for Defense that is…" _Let's see, Second Year flavor of teacher is Professor Quirrell. Can't even remember what happened to him, he just disappeared. Professor Ainslow before him just had a family emergency that required him to quit, so that one wasn't too bad. _"... But Hagrid should be back by then, and you can get that stuff with him."

He looked relieved, and she started guiding him through the alley. As the crowds started getting thicker, she reached out her hand towards him so he could take it, wondering if he would.

He looked at the hand for a moment, then hesitantly took it. Seemingly embarrassed, or possibly unsettled by even this small amount of contact, she considered it a win.

"So," she began, gaining his attention, "first thing we'll need is to get you fit for some robes, so we'll be going to 'Madam Malkin's' for that."

As he was nodding, she saw something that caused her to widen her eyes in surprise and she immediately changed direction. "Actually, now actually seems like the perfect time to get your books!"

"Wha- really?" Harry asked as he looked at her in confusion, "Why is that?"

She smiled in anticipation, "I just saw somebody go in the bookstore, and they look like they're a first year as well, so I thought I'd introduce you to them so that you have a friend in your year."

He looks at her with traces of disappointment in his eyes, "Oh, I thought that, well…" his tone betraying his worry, and Katie responds.

"That I would be your friend? Of course I will! But I'm a second year. Even if we're in the same house - and I'm a Gryffindor by the way - I'll have different classes, a different schedule," Seeing his face light back up made Katie feel like her smile was going to be a permanent fixture for a while. _I never thought I'd like children this much. Or maybe it's just him?_

As they opened the door to the bookstore she saw the group of three just ahead of her and she had to actively prevent herself from crying from relief. For as long as it had been since she had seen Harry, it had been much longer since she had seen Hermione.

* * *

Despite the strangeness of everything, Dan Granger couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his daughter darting around the bookcases as she excitedly talked about what she might or might not need.

Well, it was more like 'want', but Hermione definitely thought of it more as a 'need'.

The professor that introduced all of this to them, Professor McGonagall, had walked them through everything and helped Hermione get all of her supplies the week prior, but his daughter had been begging for the opportunity to come back as the list of books that they had gotten was apparently 'not near enough' for her.

"Hermione," he interrupted her and her stacking of the ever growing pile of books, "Are you sure that you need multiple history books?"

Hermione looked at him with obvious surprise, "Of course I do! This is a whole new culture, with a whole bunch of different perspectives!" She gestured towards a couple of books, "This is 'Modern Magical History', and this," She gestured to another, "Is 'Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century', and then there is another called 'Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts', and with everything that happened a decade ago that's pretty recent history as well!" She looked at him with large puppy dog eyes, "How can I choose between them?"

Whether it was magical or normal, his daughter would be the same apparently. They weren't too worried about money, but despite how curious he was about those books he had to put his foot down at some point, else his daughter would end up buying the whole book store. And his wife wasn't helping, clearly amused by the whole event.

"Um, actually, Modern Magical History is pretty badly embellished I'm afraid," another voice piped up, and the three turned around to see two kids, a girl and a boy both around Hermione's age. The girl was giving him and Hermione an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, but I overheard you talking," She apologized, "My name is Katherine Bell, but you can call me Katie, and this is Harry!" She gestured to the thin boy standing nervously beside her. "But yeah, Modern Magical History is alright at getting the general events correct, but there's a LOT of extra stuff in there, and 'Rise and Fall' is, well." She made a face, "Not accurate. At all. Great Wizarding Events is pretty good though."

He didn't even question her explanation, despite her age. She reminded him of Hermione with the way she spoke, and he was already aware of how intelligent his daughter was. The only difference was the way she insulted the information from those books.

Ah, yep, he could see Hermione looking indignant already. Swallowing a laugh, he gave the two children a smile, "It's nice to meet you two," he said kindly, his wife and daughter following suit. "We're Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and this is our daughter, Hermione. Are you guys getting ready for the school year as well?"

"Yep!" The girl nodded enthusiastically, "I already have everything, but I'm helping Harry get his stuff. This will be Harry's first year, and your daughter looked like she was new as well, so I figured I'd introduce them to each other, and ask if you have any questions that I could answer." Her eyes turned contemplative, "Granger… Is that any relation to Dagworth-Granger?" She asked curiously.

He blinked in confusion, and she tried to clarify, "Hector Dagworth-Granger? Invented tons of potions years ago? Created a group or something for potioneers? Umm, I think that he has a few books here?" She tried.

"Umm," he shared a confused look with his wife, "No, neither myself nor my parents knew about, well, all of this," He gestured towards the Alley, "We're all new to this, so I doubt there's a family relationship."

"Oh, that doesn't mean much," the girl brushed the concern aside, "You might have come from a branch of the family that was squibs." Seeing their look of confusion she hastily explained "Uh, children of a magical person that don't have any magic of their own."

Apparently that was the limit of Hermione's silence.

"Is that common? For children of wizards and witches to not have magic? And is Granger a common name in the magical world? Do you know anything else about that guy?" Hermione asked eagerly, her eyes bright as she had apparently forgiven the other girl for having insulted books.

For now anyways.

Dan chuckled, laying a hand on Hermione's shoulder, "Easy there," he lightly reprimanded, "You've just barely been introduced to each other."

While Hermione looked slightly abashed, Katie just gave a laugh, "Oh, no! No need to worry, I don't mind at all!" She assured them, "Though I'm sorry to say that I don't know much about Hector. However, I'm sure that we could find some of his books here if you'd like?"

Hermione eagerly nodded, and he heard his wife stifle a giggle behind him. He looked curiously at the girl once more, "So how old are you? This clearly isn't your first time."

The girl, Katie, nodded. "Yeah, I'm a second year -" _that surprised him. The knowledge not so much, as his own girl had proven before. But she carried herself with more confidence than he'd expect from somebody that young._ " - and I was raised with magic. I figured it might be confusing to people who hadn't grown up with it."

_Knows the names of old authors and understands history books well enough to explain their flaws. I think I'm looking at another Hermione. _

His wife chuckled, "Well, you're not wrong. I know we're new to all of this, so we shouldn't judge, but some things…" She trailed off with a helpless look, and he interjected.

"Things like quills." He explained, "I get that it matches the theme and all, but you'd expect wizards to start using ball point pens for their practicality at some point!"

To his relief the girl didn't look confused at the term 'ball point pen'. A few people he had talked to had looked so baffled at what he had assumed were common terms that he couldn't help but feel incredibly awkward.

"Yeah, there's a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense at first," She said with a grimace, "The whole quill thing is actually because different feathers and inks contain different properties needed for certain rituals." She looked towards Hermione, who was giving her her full attention. "You won't be doing that stuff till… Third year I think, but until then they have you use them to get used to it." She made a face, "They're a pain to get used to, don't worry, everybody knows and feels the same way."

"Huh," He grunted thoughtfully. At least there was a reason for it, though he still thought it cumbersome.

"Thank you," Jean said with a smile, "That's really helpful." She tilted her head thoughtfully at the two of them, "Not that I'm not grateful, but where are your parents?"

The girl gave a shrug, "My parents let me stay here for the afternoon," She explained smoothly, "And Harry's guardian had to go… Take care of stuff, so it's just us for now." She looked between all of them with a hopeful look, "I was hoping that they could get to know each other, that way there wouldn't be as much, you know, 'fear of the unknown' when we all go to Hogwarts. Everything is less scary when you're going with a friend, right?"

He couldn't help but smile at the girl. He liked her, and she seemed smart enough to keep up with Hermione, so that was a plus. It would be up to Hermione of course to decide if she wanted them as friends, but seeing the look she was giving those two he didn't think that would be an issue.

Of course, that could be just because the girl knew stuff that Hermione didn't, but friendships had started off on worse grounds.

"We'd be glad to have your company," He told the two, "And I'm sure that this little bookworm has many more questions about Hogwarts to ask you."

Said bookworm gave him an embarrassed look while the other girl giggled into her hand and the boy gave a shy smile.

He and his wife were hoping that Hermione would gain friends at this new school, but he wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly.

* * *

_Thirty minutes later_

"Elixir of Sorrows?" Hermione asked with a furrowed brow, "Why would there be a potion for that?"

Katie had spent a little time helping Harry get all of the required books, but then she surprised Hermione when she decided to stay and help Hermione find a couple of books written by her maybe-ancestor, one of which included a list of potions that he had either created or helped contribute to the creation of.

"To help actors actually cry during their scenes?" Katie replied with a straight face. Both Harry and Hermione stared at her for several seconds before she dissolved into giggles, "What! How else do you expect them to cry at will like they do?!"

Harry gave a hesitant grin, "I, well, I just thought that they might carry onions or something around for that." He grimaced, "though it would be hard to ignore the stinging… That always sucks."

"See!" Katie crowed, nudging Hermione, "Your ancestor was the savior of actors worldwide!" She teased, earning a small giggle from the younger girl.

The last half hour had been so different from what Hermione was used to, and she found that a part of her was dearly hoping that this wasn't a one time thing, that she'd be able to spend time with them some more when they were all at school, as unlikely as that would be.

Katie was a second year after all, which meant that she would be studying more advanced topics than Hermione would.

She had long learned that people never wanted to stay friends with her unless she helped them study. While she felt that she could help Harry out, which was something, Katie was so knowledgeable that it was unlikely that she'd spend time with her again. With that thought, she couldn't help but feel her heart sink.

_And yet…_

"Hmmm, he probably invented this one around the same time," Katie mused, "What do you think Hermione? This one seems to be a bit more practical." Katie asked, and Hermione looked at the potion she was pointing at,

"Draught of Peace?" She asked, and Katie nodded,

"Looks like it gives comfort. Probably very useful at the Hospital. Oh, and for students around exam time. Can't forget those poor souls." She stated with a faux experienced air.

And yet she remained here, chatting with both Harry and Hermione, and she didn't seem to mind, even if she probably already knew this stuff. She came with Harry, so of course she would try to include him - Katie said she had only met him earlier that day, but she seemed very fond of him already. And... of Hermione as well for some reason?

She made an active effort to include both of them while talking, and went out of her way to be nice. Hermione didn't quite understand it, but at the same time she hoped it would continue, that it wasn't a fluke.

She was dragged out of her thoughts when Katie reached over and gave her a shake, causing her to jump slightly at the contact. Katie gave her a smile,

"So whatcha thinking about?" She asked curiously, "You weren't even paying attention to me!" She gave a playful pout, and Hermione flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry," She said with her eyes on the ground, "I was just, um…" _She couldn't say what she was actually thinking about!_"Y-you, uh, mentioned actors using the Elixir of Sorrows, and I guess I was wondering if wizards actually watched movies. I haven't seen anything like that yet around here."

Katie watched her for a few seconds curiously before giving a sigh, "I'm afraid not," She said dramatically, "Wizards have remained uncultured in that area I'm afraid, though I think there is a group that's trying to create a magical equivalent, and I think there's some books that project the stories within them..." She thought for a moment before shrugging, "It's kind of a new thing, so I don't know much about it."

Her smile faded for a second and her eyes seemed to go distant, "I hadn't known about movies for most of my life actually." She confided, her voice more subdued than it had been the entire conversation, and the contrast startled both her and Harry, "It was... a friend that had introduced it to me."

Hermione winced, feeling horrible about bringing up what seemed to be a painful topic. Looking at Harry, she could see that he was looking at Katie worriedly as well. Desperately thinking for a way to distract her, her gaze went to the books.

"So which books do you think I should get?" She asked suddenly, startling the other two. She gestured to the pile, "My parents won't allow me to buy all of these books after all," She said while biting her lip in aggravation.

The books by Hector Dagworth-Granger were more expensive than the other books, so even when she took away the history books that Katie said weren't any good she was still over her limit. (she still wasn't convinced that the books were incorrect, but with the limit her parents set she figured that she could put them on hold till later).

Katie hummed thoughtfully as she looked through the pile, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief to see that the distraction worked.

After several minutes of deliberation between Katie and Hermione on the various books, Harry looked at her hesitantly and reached into his pocket, "I could, um, buy one of the books for you," he said softly, "If it, you know, helps."

She looked at him in shock, "I can't take your money!" She stated incredulously, "That wouldn't be right!"

She took in his ill-fitting clothes and slightly dented glasses, feeling happy that he would offer to do such a thing, but determined to not let him do so seeing as he clearly needed money as well.

He looked down with a frown, but said in a more firm voice, "Well, there's a good chance that this guy is your ancestor, and you want to learn more about him, and, well, I think that that's… important. Also, I… I've never really had the opportunity to share with anybody. Or anything to share with them either," The last part coming out as a mumble, and he quickly forged on, a gleam entering his eye, "If you don't accept, then I'll just buy it for myself and let you borrow it." He said with a smirk, and Hermione couldn't help but look at him in confusion, what he said having derailed her thoughts.

He had never had the opportunity to share with anybody? To the point where he _wanted _to share with somebody? Did… Did he not have any friends at all growing up? She at least had friends for short periods of time before they left her. Once more, she looked over his apparel, her brows drawing together in concern.

"Ok," She eventually said reluctantly, seeing his determined face, before her voice became hard, "But that means that you have to accept a book from me as well!"

She reached into her bag and pulled out her favorite book so far, one she had immediately purchased when she had been first brought here by the professor a week prior. "This is Hogwarts: A History," She explained over Harrys' protests. "I've already read it," _Only one and a half times so far, but she could reread it later. _"but if you're going to let me borrow a book, then it's only fair that I let you borrow a book from me, and this is my favorite."

She refused to be a burden or make him feel like she was taking advantage of him. If he thought that, then any chance of friendship might be ruined.

Harry eventually quieted as he looked down at the book, a fragile expression going over his face. "I… that… that is, this is the first time someone's, well, lent me something before…" he looked up and gave her a smile. "Thank you Hermione."

Hearing how happy he was to be lent a single book struck Hermione hard. And he was giving her a book first - she had done this only in response to that, and he was still this thankful?

She felt Katie subtly grab her hand and give it a squeeze, grabbing her attention to mouth 'Well done', to which she gave a watery smile back.

This feeling… Any nervousness she had about going to Hogwarts and leaving home slowly diminished. Before, she had been hoping to find friends, but there was always the fear that it would turn out like it always had. Now that she had made friends… She really hoped that they still wanted to be friends after school started.

Meanwhile Katie was looking between both Harry and Hermione with a fond look in her eyes. Everything was turning out much better than she could have predicted. And with any luck, it would stay that way.

_I guess it's not just Harry, they're both adorable. Maybe I really do like kids? Makes me regret becoming a spinster…. Not that there were many options in THAT future. Still, thank Merlin and Morgana for second chances. _

* * *

Jean Granger looked at the three kids from the sitting area that she and her husband were at. Both Hermione and the boy, Harry, were listening to a story that Katie was telling them about the lake near Hogwarts.

"I like her," She stated softly to her husband, grinning as he murmured an affirmative.

As smart as Hermione was, many other kids tried hard to be her 'friend' to get help with homework. Desperate for friends, Hermione would allow it, only to be crushed when that's all it ever came to be. Then there were the bullies…

But here, Katie had been fielding Hermione's questions like a pro and didn't seem to mind at all, and Harry seemed to be keeping up as well.

Speaking of the boy though…

"He's too skinny." She murmured worriedly, "His clothes don't fit him, and he flinches at fast movement."

She felt her husband nod, "At first I thought they were brother and sister, but looking at it now, there are too many differences." He replied softly, "Though I think she knew him before. She seems protective of him."

She hummed in affirmative, "She mentioned her parents a couple times now, but only mentioned that Harry had a guardian that had to leave, so his parents probably aren't in the picture."

It wasn't any of their business, but if these two did become Hermione's friends then it became their business by proxy. It was a parent thing.

Her musings were interrupted by somebody knocking on the glass of the store, and she and her husband turned to see a shockingly large man with an unruly beard looking into the store. He spotted Harry and lifted his hands to show they were filled with ice cream cones, to which Harry gave a look of surprise and delight.

She overheard Katie moan, "Oh crap, it's been an hour already? We haven't even gotten anything else on your list… Ok, if he asks, we'll just say that you didn't have the list, so we couldn't do anything else, alright?"

The three then walked closer to where she and Dan were and gave them a smile, "C'mon, I'll introduce you to the groundskeeper of Hogwarts," She encouraged cheerfully, walking to the entrance with Harry, and Hermione followed, her eyes bright with unasked questions.

Dan gave a huff as he looked at the large man, "Well, I suppose giants are a thing that fairy tales got correct," He murmured to her, "Let's hope they got their diets wrong."

She gave him a slap on the arm, "Oh stop that, you know you're just as fascinated by this as I am," She rebuked him humorously.

He chuckled, "Perhaps," he allowed as they walked towards the man that was now being interrogated by Hermione, "I just hope that things don't get any more crazy."

* * *

_Katie's House_

Katie fell on her bed with a sigh, her smile a permanent fixture. It was to the point that her parents had noticed and were confused. Saying that she made a few friends normally wouldn't warrant such a reaction from her. Still, they were happy to see her in a better mood than she had been for a while, and so didn't question it.

She knew it looked suspicious, but she couldn't help it! It would have been a great day to just introduce herself to Harry, but she was also able to see Hermione again! Plus, they were all already on the way to becoming friends!

Sure, she knew that they would be, but the fear was always there as to whether she'd mess something up. But despite that fear, it didn't happen, and everything went beautifully. Before they left they had coordinated when to arrive at Kings Crossing so they could get on the train together, so that was already set up.

She snuggled into her blankets contently. Sure, there were still lots of things to worry about, the school year hadn't even started yet and she still had no idea what 'Stone' that Harry was referring to in his list. However, her goals of the day had been achieved, and things were already looking better than she anticipated.

And maybe now that she'd seen both Harry and Hermione alive and well she'd be able to get a full night's sleep without any nightmares.

* * *

_**Harry's List and**__**Katies Comments**__**:**_

I**Item #12: ** Steal Stone? Cerberus, Music. - _The hell is there a Cerberus in the school for?! Music… Myth, music sleep. What is 'stone'?_

**Item #15:** Quirrelmort Unveil. NOT NEAR HER! - _Unveil what/how? Strip him? 'Mort'. Voldemort?_

**Item #17:** Do better at smuggling Norbert. Convince Hagrid to not get the dragon? - _Wait, "do better"? And Dragon! What were they doing their first year!_

_**Author's Notes:**_

_**Hey Everybody! I hope that you all enjoyed reading chapter 2. Please leave a review to let me know what you think, or if you have any advice for me. **_

_**A couple people have asked about my posting schedule… Well, I'm afraid that I don't really have one. I write these stories as a hobby and in my free time, when I have it, and I have multiple stories that I am writing. As such, if I get inspiration for something, then I work on it. The more popular a story is, the more likely I am to work on it. **_

_**I'd like to thank my brother and sisters, (AutumnStar, FluffyInsanity, and Elronia) for peer reviewing this chapter and for the advice that they gave, as well as everybody who has favorited this story. **_


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